Summary
On July 03, 1993, a Champion 7ECA (N9597S) was involved in an incident near Dillingham, AK. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S ATTEMPT TO TAKEOFF WITH INSUFFICIENT AIRSPEED. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S SELECTION OF UNSUITABLE TERRAIN ON WHICH TO LAND AND TAKEOFF.
On July 03, 1993, at 1500 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Citabria 7ECA airplane, N9597S, registered to and operated by the pilot in command, crashed during takeoff from a gravel bar on the Tik Chik River, approximately 20 miles north of the Tik Chik Narrows Lodge. The private certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The intended destination for the personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, was a remote fishing site on the Yukon River. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
During a telephone interview, the pilot in command reported the following information to the NTSB investigator in charge: He landed on the gravel bar to wait for improving weather.
This incident is documented in NTSB report ANC93LA111. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N9597S.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S ATTEMPT TO TAKEOFF WITH INSUFFICIENT AIRSPEED. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S SELECTION OF UNSUITABLE TERRAIN ON WHICH TO LAND AND TAKEOFF.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On July 03, 1993, at 1500 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Citabria 7ECA airplane, N9597S, registered to and operated by the pilot in command, crashed during takeoff from a gravel bar on the Tik Chik River, approximately 20 miles north of the Tik Chik Narrows Lodge. The private certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The intended destination for the personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, was a remote fishing site on the Yukon River. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
During a telephone interview, the pilot in command reported the following information to the NTSB investigator in charge: He landed on the gravel bar to wait for improving weather. The gravel bar was approximately 375 feet in length. His airplane normally requires about 400 feet of runway, "but there was a 5 to 10 mile per hour (mph) headwind and I had no passengers and 3/4 gas". Part of the gravel bar became covered with a few inches of water from the rain and rising river which slowed his takeoff roll. By the end of the gravel bar his airspeed was about 40 mph, with about 50 mph required. The plane rose a few feet then settled into the river and flipped over.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ANC93LA111